That "Promise Me You Wont Die" Scene

between the father and Ponette was easily one of the most powerful and heartrenching scenes I have ever watched. And it was in large part because of the acting of a FOUR YEAR OLD! How does that happen?! Are small children in France much more sophisticated then small children in the US? How do you get a 4 year old to comprehend what is necessary to display such emotion and subtle nuance in her face for that particular scene? That wasnt luck. And she definitely didnt look like she was going through the motions like a trained monkey. It looked REAL and SHE was doing it! I was both choked up and distracted by her mind boggling display at the same time. In fact one of my issues with this movie is the fact that I was largely distracted by the fact that such young children were the focus of such a movie. Part of me thinks if they had been around 9 or 10 it would have worked better. The concept of a 9 year old trying to grasp the metaphysical complexities of religion and death and displaying certain emotions in their face like Ponette did wouldnt have felt strange at all. And they probably could have done more with the material anyway. But Ill go ahead and chalk that up to me being an American and not French and having a hard time taking super young kids acting well as a possibility. I need to get over it I guess...


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